Using Gaidge Analytics to find Leaks in the Practice Bucket

Gaidge is an easy-to-use, customized analytics dashboard that delivers the data you need to drive decisions that grow your practice, improve operations and maximize your business goals. Fully integrated with Cloud 9, Gaidge gives orthodontists the ability to investigate and analyze business performance with ease.

Based on the changing market dynamics, Gaidge has identified three critical metrics that if not managed appropriately can lead to significant production losses. These metrics are as follows:

1. New Patient Calls Converted to Exams
2. Case starts from Observation
3. Phase I to Phase II conversion rate

In 2017, the average single doctor practice lost $418,000 in production opportunity due to their conversion process. The Conversion Waterfall illustrates the funnel of patients that call for an exam to how many actually start treatment. Along the conversion waterfall, these three critical metrics identify significant leaks in production opportunity.

New Patient Calls Converted to Exams – Industry benchmarks recommends 90% of new patients that call to schedule an exam to come in to complete an exam.  This 10% attrition accounts for no-shows and other patients that might be added into your system from external marketing efforts. In the waterfall example, 793 patients were added and 625 came in for an exam. This 79% conversion rate is short by 11% of the 90% benchmark.  Translated to expected exams, this practice should have seen 89 more exams to arrive at the benchmark.  Assuming that 20% of new patients who come in for an exam will be put into observation until ready for treatment and with a case acceptance of 63.52% and an average contract fee of $5,089, the opportunity missed is $230,156 in additional production.

Properly Managing your Observation Program – Industry benchmarks note that 20% of new patient exams should move into observation while 25% of starts should come from your existing observation group.  In this illustration, only 97 new patients were moved to observation (15.5%) while 92 starts (21.4%) came from patients in observation. Starting 15 more patients from Observation to reach the 25% benchmark would create $76,335 of additional production.

Phase I to Phase II conversion – The Industry benchmark for Phase 1 to Phase II conversion is 85%.  Based on the data housed in Gaidge, the actual conversion rate for single doctor owners is 52%. This 33% gap represents $111,958 in additional production.

Adding up the leaks in these three buckets represents approximately $418,000 in additional production opportunity.  We realize each of your practices will be unique, and we believe every practice has opportunity to evaluate and improve their conversion waterfall.

If you are interested in learning more about the conversion waterfall and how Gaidge can help you identify and then implement processes, strategies and systems to reduce your leaky bucket, please contact us at [email protected] for a demo and discussion of your practice.